초록 ▼

A collapsible hot liquid pitcher with an adjustable flow restrictor is disclosed that provides an easily controlled pour of hot water from the spout at the end of the pitcher's neck. The pitcher can be made of a rubbery material so that it can be compressed into a small shape for traveling. An insul

A collapsible hot liquid pitcher with an adjustable flow restrictor is disclosed that provides an easily controlled pour of hot water from the spout at the end of the pitcher's neck. The pitcher can be made of a rubbery material so that it can be compressed into a small shape for traveling. An insulating layer on the pitcher prevents the hot liquid from burning the user's hand during pouring. An adjustable flow restrictor gate with different sized flow sluices is provided in the pitcher's neck so that the amount of hot water admitted through the flow restrictor gate into the neck can be changed. The restrictor gate can be removed to change the desired flow. The orientation of the restrictor gate, the shape of the pitcher's neck and spout, and the shape and angle of the spout's face work to produce a controlled flow of hot water that pours downwardly in a steady, vertical stream for brewing.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A controlled-pour pitcher comprising: a pitcher having a bottom and sides extending up from the bottom, a peripheral rim along an end of the sides opposite from the bottom, wherein the rim forms a top opening of the pitcher, and wherein the bottom, sides, and rim define an interior space adapted

1. A controlled-pour pitcher comprising: a pitcher having a bottom and sides extending up from the bottom, a peripheral rim along an end of the sides opposite from the bottom, wherein the rim forms a top opening of the pitcher, and wherein the bottom, sides, and rim define an interior space adapted to hold a liquid,a neck formed adjacent a front portion of the opening and side of the pitcher, the neck having a chin extending from the front portion of the side of the pitcher upward and outward to the front portion of the top opening terminating in a spout, the front portion of the top opening defining a top neck rim portion of the pitcher's peripheral top rim, the chin further having neck sides extending upwardly and outwardly to the neck rim to form a channel from the interior space to the spout,a flow restrictor gate releaseably retained between the interior space and the channel, wherein the restrictor gate further comprises a plurality of differently proportioned flow control sluices that limit the amount of liquid that may pass from the interior space to the channel, and wherein the flow restrictor gate is a generally triangular plate sized to be received within a part of the interior surface of the sides between the interior space and the channel, and wherein the generally triangular flow restrictor gate further comprises a differently proportioned flow control sluice at each vertex of the triangular plate, and wherein each differently proportioned flow control sluice at each of the vertices of the generally triangular plate is a different size from each of the other differently proportioned control sluices at the other two vertices of the generally triangular plate,a pair of oppositely disposed retaining grooves formed on an interior surface of the sides of the pitcher for retaining the flow restrictor gate between the interior space and the channel, wherein each of the pair of retaining grooves has a top part adjacent the peripheral top rim and a lower part at the interior surface of the sides, and wherein each of the retaining grooves further comprises a pair of oppositely disposed lips defining each retaining groove and wherein each pair of lips is proportioned to releaseably grip an edge of the triangular plate. 2. The controlled-pour pitcher of claim 1 wherein the top part of the retaining groove lips extend father inward of the interior surface than the lower part of the retaining groove lips extend inward of the interior space, and further wherein only the differently proportioned flow control sluice nearest the channel allows liquid to pass from the interior space to the channel. 3. The controlled-pour pitcher of claim 1 wherein the flow restrictor gate is inclined away from the front portion of the opening and toward the interior space at an angle from vertical. 4. The controlled-pour pitcher of claim 3 wherein the angle of inclination of the flow restrictor gate from vertical is between 20 degrees and 50 degrees. 5. A controlled-pour pitcher comprising: a pitcher having a bottom and sides extending up from the bottom, a peripheral rim along an end of the sides opposite from the bottom, wherein the rim forms a top opening of the pitcher, and wherein the bottom, sides, and rim define an interior space adapted to hold a liquid,a neck formed adjacent a front portion of the opening and side of the pitcher, the neck having a chin extending from the front portion of the side of the pitcher upward and outward to the front portion of the top opening terminating in a spout, the front portion of the top opening defining a top neck rim portion of the pitcher's peripheral top rim, the chin further having neck sides extending upwardly and outwardly to the neck rim to form a channel from the interior space to the spout,a flow restrictor gate releaseably retained between the interior space and the channel, wherein the restrictor gate further comprises a plurality of differently proportioned flow control sluices that limit the amount of liquid that may pass from the interior space to the channel, wherein the flow restrictor gate is a generally triangular plate sized to be received within a part of the interior surface of the sides between the interior space and the channel, and wherein the generally triangular flow restrictor gate further comprises a differently proportioned flow control sluice at each vertex of the triangular plate, and wherein each differently proportioned flow control sluice at each of the vertices of the generally triangular plate is a different size from each of the other differently proportioned control sluices at the other two vertices of the generally triangular plate, and wherein only the differently proportioned flow control sluice nearest the channel allows liquid to pass from the interior space to the channel into the channel, and further wherein the flow restrictor gate forms a solid barrier to fluid passing through other than through the differently proportioned flow control sluice nearest the channel. 6. The controlled-pour pitcher of claim 5 wherein one of the differently proportioned flow control sluices has a diameter of 5 mm and the other two differently proportioned flow control sluices are smaller that the 5 mm differently proportioned flow control sluice. 7. The controlled-pour pitcher of claim 5 wherein the differently proportioned flow control sluices are sized 3 mm, 4 mm and 5 mm.